Fort Worth fire officials said in a statement that eight horses were rescued before the fire spread to other parts of the three-building stable complex but that one of them wasn't expected to survive.

Dozens of firefighters responded to the fire in the 3000 block of NW 30th Street, which was reported about 2:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. ET), The Dallas Morning News reported. The cause couldn't immediately be determined, fire officials said.

Bobby Tatum, a Fort Worth fire division chief, told NBC 5 of Dallas that firefighters had difficulty getting access to the building. The first crew on the scene had to run hoses about 200 feet to reach the buildings, while wind gusts of up to 20 mph also created problems, he said.